


Newmann Tumblr Fics

by Mechanical_Curse



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Friends With Benefits, Hermann has a nightmare of Newton dying, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Nightmares, Pets, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sharing Clothes, Sick Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:34:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26051236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mechanical_Curse/pseuds/Mechanical_Curse
Summary: What it says on the tin. Basically this will just be a place for me to put all the Newmann fics I wrote for Tumblr in one place
Relationships: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Comments: 1
Kudos: 43





	1. Pillow Fort (Uprising Compliant)

From the moment Newton had learned that extra pillows helped reduce the pain in Hermann’s leg, it had become the perfect excuse for him to build pillow forts any chance he would get. Blankets and cushions invaded the lab, their couch being more often than not encased in the middle of his precarious constructions. All under the pretense that he was doing it all for Hermann, so that the mathematician couldn’t argue about it without passing as rude.

Back then, he often wanted nothing more than to be left in peace, even if all things considered, he had to admit that the forts _were_ of use when the ache in his limb became overwhelming. Not that it kept him from bickering about it with his lab partner, may it be only for the principle. But things had changed, and nowadays he missed Newton’s peculiar antics with all his heart.

The biologist was leaning against him, and not for the first time, Hermann cursed his leg, because he wished he could have been carrying him instead. His stare was hollow, his eyes red and injected with blood from too many sleepless nights. The precursors were gone from his mind, Hermann had made sure of it, but that didn’t erase the weight of what he had endured.

Hermann gently led him to a pillow fort of his own making. It sure wasn’t as intricate as the ones Newton used to build, but it would have to do. From their previous days spent together, Hermann had gathered that Newton became anxious whenever they went to bed. His theory on the matter was that he couldn’t feel safe in a bedroom anymore, not after sharing one with a kaiju brain, with the embodiment of his persecutors, for over ten years. Hence the pillow fort. Hermann had maybe felt silly as he struggled to put it all together, but he hoped it would be worth it.

They walked past the blanked that served as a curtain to mark the entrance of the small haven. Both of them were already barefoot and wearing their nightclothes, so they just laid down right away. Hermann barely managed to repress a relieved sigh when his leg didn’t have to support both their weight anymore.

Everything in there was soft and made to be comfortable. No right angles, no sharp edges, nothing that could remind Newton of the Anteverse. With slow movements, Hermann wrapped his arms around his shivering body, guiding him to lay his head on his chest. He threaded his fingers through Newton’s hair in a soothing gesture, his heart breaking at how he trembled against him. In that moment, he reminded him of a bird, so small and fragile, so different from the man who once wouldn’t shut up about how fortune favored the bold.

But as they laid together in quiet peace, Newton’s panicked breathing progressively evened out, until a tired smile finally appeared on his face.

“It’s not that bad, you know.”

“What?”

“Your pillow fort. I didn’t think you’d be skilled at this. Expected it to crumble ten minutes ago, actually.”

The tone of his voice wasn’t as light-hearted as Hermann would have liked, but just to hear Newton make a joke and provoke him like in the old times was enough to have his chest burning with hope. He cherished these little moments that reminded him that the joyful, carefree Newton he knew so well wasn’t completely gone, that the precursors didn’t manage to erase him from existence. Maybe they still had a lot of work to do to patch the pieces of his mind together, but Hermann was a patient man.

“Do you enjoy it?” He asked in a soft voice, unable to hide his smile.

“Uh-huh. I think I’m going to melt into the covers and never move again.” He answered in a slurred voice.

His whole body relaxed, going limp against Hermann as he drifted to sleep, a content look on his face. This outcome wasn’t a surprise. Plagued with exhaustion as he was, it was only natural that Newton would give into sleep the moment he felt safe and secure. The coziness of the moment made Hermann long for rest as well, but he denied himself this luxury. First, he had to make sure that no nightmare or bad memory would disturb Newton.

He would watch over him all night long if need be.


	2. Being called soft things like baby, sweetheart or honey + forehead kisses + drooping eyelids

The sample Newt was currently dissecting came from Leatherback. When he had started cutting it up, his movements were precise and he was speaking with enthusiasm into his recorder. Now, at least eight hours later into it, maybe more, he wasn’t exactly sure, it was a whole other story. He used his tools clumsily and almost ripped his palm open with a scalpel once. His commentary on the composition of the kaiju organ had become scarcer and more factual, which wasn’t really his style but he hardly found the energy to do more.

He let out a yawn and his vision became slightly blurry despite his glasses. Newt felt the need to rub his eyes, but he repressed it because his gloved hands were currently covered in kaiju blue. His eyelids were heavy, but he had done experiments while being way more sleep-deprived than this and so he forced himself to continue.

“You should take a break.”

The voice coming from behind him startled Newt. He jumped out in surprise and accidentally let one of his tools fall between the ridges of the sample. A curse escaped him as his hand dived just in time to grab it before it would get lost into the viscous flesh. When he turned around, it was to discover Hermann standing at the door of the lab. He was frowning in concern, surely worried about Newt’s lack of safety procedures.

“You know I can’t do it, Herms. Duty calling me and all that.”

“The war is over. You should be allowed to get some rest, darling.”

A shiver ran down Newt’s spine at the word. He still wasn’t used to dating Hermann, and even less to being called old-fashioned pet names. However, he didn’t let that distract him from the subject at hand.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean my work is done. Maybe your calculations aren’t needed anymore, but my experiments on kaijus could still save lives! People die of kaiju blue contamination every day, and maybe I could prevent it, maybe…”

Another yawn cut him in the middle of his rant, and Hermann’s look grew softer at the sight. He walked closer to Newt, his cane clicking on the floor.

“I am fully aware of this, but working yourself to exhaustion will not solve the issue, quite the contrary. You drifted twice in a very short period of time, you need the sleep of your mind won’t be able to take it.”

“But in the meantime, my samples will grow bad, and it’s not as if I would be getting new ones ever again! Right now, sleep is a luxury I can’t afford, dude!”

As he talked, Newt was moving his hands frantically, but Hermann had learned to stay just at the right distance to stay clear of any kaiju viscera that might end up flying around the lab. In spite of the biologist’s distress, he managed to stay calm.

“Then maybe I could take care of this in your stead.”

“What are you talking about? Those are kaiju entrails, not numbers, in case you didn’t notice. I’m the only one qualified to deal with this.”

Hermann rose an eyebrow, which basically meant, in their long history of bickering, that he was ready to take Newt on the challenge.

“In case you already forgot, which I wouldn’t put past you considering your state of exhaustion, we shared a neural bridge. I had access to all of your knowledge concerning kaiju. While I have to recognize it would take me some time to master the subject as well as you, I do believe I retained enough information to complete your current experiment you have going on. If you have any regards towards my sanity, please let me replace you and go back to your bunk.”

A quick mental inspection of his own gained mathematical seemed to convince Newton, because his expression went from mildly annoyed to outright relieved, although confused.

“You would do that for me, babe? Really?”

This time, Hermann rolled his eyes.

“How come you still consider me caring about you as something inconceivable, Newton? You’ve been in my head, you know what my feelings are on the subject. Also, please refrain from using this ridiculous nickname in public.”

“Wait, does that mean I can keep calling you that in private?”

“If it humors you.”

This brought a huge smile to Newt’s face. In a swift gesture, repeated hundreds of times, he removed his protection gloves, then rushed towards Hermann. Once in front of him, he rose on his tiptoes so he could leave an affectionate kiss on his forehead. The mathematician turned red at the display of affection, but he sure didn’t complain.

“Thanks, you’re amazing, babe.”

Hermann let out a deep sigh.

“I’m going to regret authorizing this, won’t I?”

“You have no idea.” Newt replied with a grin.

“Well, since I just agreed to a lifetime of suffering, I esteem the least you can do is leave this place to get some well-deserved rest.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll let you discover just how awesome kaijus are in peace. But seriously, thanks, you rule, man. I think I’m going to pass out the second I get my ass into bed.”

“Thank you for trusting me with your studies, Newton.”

A few minutes later, Newton was still thinking about the small, kind smile that came with this reply as he finally climbed into bed and let himself fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Waking up either adorably confused or painfully scared + comfort after a nightmare

Newton was laying in his arms, his whole body trembling, and Hermann didn’t know what to do. His seizure just kept getting worse and worse. When the mathematician had found him, one of his eyes was stained with blood. Now, it was almost impossible to discern the pretty blue-green of his irises behind all the red.

The biologist’s hands were gripping at him, hard enough to hurt, and Hermann could tell that he was in agony. Each time a spasm went through him, he shook from head to toe, even after the pons device had been removed.

Hermann had known from the beginning that the Drift would kill Newton, but for once in his life, he wished his predictions were right, although he couldn’t ignore the truth in front of him. Newton was too far gone to ever recover from what the neural handshake had put him through.

Now, all Hermann could do was keep him close and whisper comforting words in his ear. Tears were threatening to fall on his cheeks as an abyss of sorrow was ready to engulf him, but he held them back, because he didn’t want to plague Newton with his own sadness, not if he could still hear him.

Desperate pleas of “Please don’t go!” got caught in his throat as he held tight onto Newton. He should have known that his reckless partner wouldn’t listen to him, that he would pursue his ill-conceived idea whether Marshall Pentecost gave him his approval or not. He should have stopped him.

Except he didn’t, and now Newton was going to die because he couldn’t take good enough care of the one person that mattered to him. Already, he could feel him going limp in his arms, and soon he would be gone, and Hermann would be all alone, left with nothing with regrets and the knowledge that he _could_ have saved him but didn’t…

“Hey, buddy, wake up!”

Hermann suddenly opened his eyes, only to realize his cheeks were wet with tears. His bad leg hurt more than usual because he had unknowingly been thrashing in his sleep. A deep sense of dread was filling his chest and made him feel as if he was about to choke. He couldn’t find his words, couldn’t express how he felt, overwhelmed by the intense terror caused by his nightmares.

He only calmed down when he was met with Newton’s worried glare. The biologist wasn’t wearing his glasses, which resulted in him having to squint to look at Hermann. There were still faint traces of dirt on his face and it was that little detail that brought Hermann back to present time.

All of a sudden, he remembered it all. Their shared drift, the success of operation Pitfall, how they celebrated the victory of mankind together, only to pass out of exhaustion together the moment they sat down on a couch.

Newton was here, with him. Alive and well.

“You okay here, man? You look grumpy, I mean, even grumpier than usual.”

On another day, Hermann would have scolded Newton for his choice of words. As things were, he only managed to mumble a low “Nightmare…”. He hoped his partner wouldn’t ask him to expand on that because he certainly didn’t feel ready for that.

As Newton nodded in understanding, something in his expression shifted to become even softer.

“I guess it can’t be helped, we didn’t exactly have the most relaxing day, you and I. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I’ll be dreaming of Otachi’s baby running after me for _ages_. That was some traumatic shit, dude. But c’mere, I’ll hold you until you feel better.”

From his tone, Hermann could tell that the proposition was meant to be a joke at first. However, when the mathematician didn’t act offended by the idea as he usually would, Newton frowned and obviously changed his mind. He wrapped an arm around Hermann’s back, his movements slow and gentle.

Hermann’s breathing calmed down once his face rested on Newton’s tattooed chest. His lab partner had thrown his ruined shirt and tie in the trash the night before, and in the midst of the celebrations, having him walk around bare-chested didn’t seem out of place. Now Hermann was more than thankful for it, because it allowed him to listen to Newton’s strong heartbeat, to realize that he wasn’t dead, that he was here, with him, and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“You survived.” He whispered in a voice filled with awe. “We all survived.”

“Jeez, took you long enough to realize. I expected you to be cleverer than that, doctor Gottlieb.”

Newton’s eyes were shining with mirth and he looked more handsome than ever, to the point where Hermann almost didn’t feel the urge to kick him in the shin with his cane at the reflection.

Since he had absolutely no idea where he had left said cane before crashing on this couch (of which Hermann still didn’t know the exact location, but he guessed Newton and him would figure that out later in the day), he decided that he could ignore it and just keep holding onto Newton for a while longer.


	4. Waking up either adorably confused or painfully scared + forehead kisses

Hermann shifted in his sleep, unknowingly drawing the covers closer to his chest, when something touched his face. He frowned, not quite waking up yet, and turned around so that he would be more comfortable. He had spent the last week staying awake at night because he needed to take part in online conferences that were set for another time zone and he was therefore exhausted. He needed this rest. However, the annoying feeling came back just a few seconds later, somehow even more persistent. Something pinched his nose and this time, it was enough for the mathematician to open his eyes.

He was welcomed with the blurry sight of a feathery creature who was now busy staring at him and poking his cheeks with its beak. The bird, because it was one, examined him thoroughly, its black eyes full of curiosity. But before he could determine what such an animal was doing in his bed, Newton’s high-pitched voice resonated in the bedroom.

“So that’s where you were! I looked for you everywhere, dude, why couldn’t you just stay on your perch?”

The moment it heard him, the bird immediately flew away and landed on Newton’s arm in a rush of blue feathers. Once settled there, it started playing with the biologist’s glasses, almost taking them off his nose.

“Hey, those are mine, back off!”

This gave Hermann enough time to rub his eyes and take a good look at the bird. It was a rather large parrot, probably a macaw if he wasn’t mistaken, but that still didn’t explain what it was doing in his bedroom.

“Newton, please tell me this is a dream.” He finally let out, his voice still rough from sleep.

“Uh, I don’t think so? Like, if this was a dream there is a chance I wouldn’t know I’m in a dream myself, but as far as I can tell I feel perfectly real, so…”

“Enough of that, just tell me why I was woken up by this hellish parrot.”

Arguing with Newton while he was laying, wearing his nightclothes, while the biologist was up and dressed for the day wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but they had went through worse while working at the PPDC. Also, Hermann wouldn’t risk getting out of bed without properly warming up his bad leg first.

“Hey, first of all, you take that back! She’s a very good girl.”

“A girl who has no right being in this flat, as far as I’m concerned.”

This time, his partner had the decency to look at least slightly embarrassed. It wasn’t the first time, and to Hermann’s dismay, probably not the last, that Newton disregarded the rules they had set up concerning their shared apartment since they settled together as a couple. One of them being: not getting a new pet without talking it through together beforehand.

“Look, I can explain! I didn’t buy her or anything. I actually applied to foster animals a while back, and well, this cutie here was a rescue who needed a place to say, so…”

“And you didn’t tell me about that little project of yours because…”

“Hey man, our agreement was about pets we actually own, you never mentioned anything about ones we would only be keeping temporarily!”

The stern look Hermann sent his way spoke of murder.

“I didn’t mention it because I thought it was obvious that this was included in our arrangement.”

“Okay, okay, maybe you’ve got a point, but give me some slack dude! Look, I could have just bought my own hyacinth macaw despite the fact that they live, like, super long and are a lot of responsibilities, but instead I only decided to foster this one here because I’m not irresponsible.”

“Not irresponsible? Please, do tell me, how am I supposed to believe such a statement when it’s coming from the man who drifted with a kaiju brain without any exterior supervision?”

It was a low blow, he was fully aware of it, but whatever would knock some sense into his reckless partner was good to take. Also, Newton already had the upper hand here by being fully awake while Hermann’s mind was still smoggy with sleep.

“That’s not the subject! Also, my drift helped save the world, so your argument is invalid. Anyway, about the macaw…”

Hermann sighed.

“Does this bloody thing even have a name?”

“Oh yes, of course, the shelter gave her one…”

The way his partner avoided the question told him everything he needed to know. Even if he would deny it to his grave, Newton was sometimes adorably predictable.

“I’m not talking about the one she got from the shelter Newton, I’m talking about the one you inevitably gave her because you’re insufferable. And don’t you even try to deny that.”

“Fine, you’ve got me there. Just a warning though: Her name is awesome, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“Just get this done with already.”

“She’s Otachi.” Newton announced with a grin.

Hermann rolled his eyes, but he was too acquainted with Newton’s peculiar tastes to be surprised.

“Of bloody course she is. Although a more refined name would have been preferable, I didn’t expect anything better from you.”

“C’mon man, any other name would have been lame. She’s blue, she flies, she’s Otachi, there’s no arguing about it.”

“You know that this, along with bringing this parrot home without warning me first, doesn’t play in your favor, right?”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, dude! I know you learned to appreciate the kaiju since our drift, I know about the figurines you keep in your office, so don’t try to play coy. Anyway, can we keep her please? She really needs a place to stay, and isn’t she adorable?”

Hermann took a brief, stern look at the parrot who was now having fun playing with Newton’s tie. As much as he wanted his answer to be “ _No, we won’t be accepting any more animals in this household, I already humored you too many times._ ”, he just couldn’t resist to his partner’s big, pleading eyes. Damn his soft heart and his weak spot for one Dr Geiszler.

“Fine, you can keep the damn bird, but don’t expect me to take care of it…”

“Oh my god Herms you’re the best, I’ll repay you for this one, I promise!”

Before he could protest against the nickname, Newton jumped on the bed, his shoes still on and an upset bird clutching at his arm. The biologist put an enthustiatic kiss on Hermann’s forehead as a thank you, which was enough to bring red to his cheeks.

“You’ll get the sheets dirty!” Hermann weakly protested, although it was mainly to hide how flustered he felt.

“It’s been worse and you know it.”

“I don’t think the kaiju entrails incident is something you should be bringing up, Newton.”

“Fine, you’re right, but just let me cuddle up with you for a while, okay? We’ve been awake on different schedules all week and I miss my boyfriend.”

With a huff, Hermann spread out one of his arms as an invite for Newt to get closer. The biologist happily complied, gently laid the macaw on the bed so he wouldn’t get in the way, then he buried his face against the mathematician’s neck.

It took Newton approximately five minutes to start snoring, the exhaustion of the day catching up with him. They really had been living on different times of the day lately. However, the sight of his partner all relaxed in his arms made everything that Newton had him put up with daily worth it.

The fact that he didn’t change his mind about that statement even after Otachi the macaw started nibbling on his ear sure said a lot about how much he loved Newt.


	5. Forehead kisses + shaky hands + medicine + fingers running through sweaty hair

For what had to be the hundredth time of the day, a sneeze distracted Hermann from his equations. His chalk stopped on the blackboard, his hand tense, as he threw a disapproving look at Newton. The biologist was currently sprawled on the lab couch, his chest heaving as he kept coughing.

A mountain of soiled tissues laid on the floor next to him, which made Hermann’s nose scrunch up in disgust. Newton’s whole body was sweaty and his disheveled clothes stuck to his skin. He looked exhausted beyond measure, his eyes red, and he wouldn’t stop shivering now and then. To put it simply, he looked miserable. Also, he certainly shouldn’t have been allowed to go anywhere near samples he could contaminate, if his runny nose was to be taken into account.

“For the last time, Newton, could you try to at least be _quiet_? I’m having a hard time concentrating in these conditions.”

His lab partner coughed one last time, but the mathematician had his suspicions that Newton did it on purpose to spite him. The biologist rolled on his belly so he could look at him more directly, his glasses hanging in a hazardous way and not far from falling.

“Hey, it’s not as if I could help it! Trust me, it sucks way more to be in my position than in yours. I’d like to see you deal with a scratchy throat!”

When he talked, his voice sounded hoarse and less high-pitched than usual. He also grimaced as the words flowed out of his mouth, even though the pain wasn’t enough to make him stop arguing with Hermann.

“Well, maybe you would get better if you actually agreed to stay in your quarters so your body could get some energy to fight off the disease.”

This time, Newton rolled his eyes in an exaggerated way, which only managed to unnerve Hermann even more.

“You mean, stop my researches that could be the key to saving humanity just because of a common cold? Nah, don’t give me that, dude. We both know that if our roles were reversed, you wouldn’t leave your dear numbers just because you’re sick.”

“Pardon me if I can’t see how exactly you are helping humanity right now, considering you just spent the last half hour on that couch.”

At those words, something more vulnerable shone in Newton’s eyes. He sat down on the couch and stroke the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture.

“Fuck, it’s already been that long? I didn’t realize… My head is… kind of fuzzy, you know? But eh, you have a point, I should probably get back to w-”

It was a good thing that Hermann’s instincts were sharp and that he was expecting something like this, because the moment Newton stumbled to his feet and inevitably lost his balance, he was there to catch him with his shoulder. His bad leg and his cane didn’t make it particularly easy, but he managed to gently push his partner so he would fall back on the couch and not on the floor.

“Okay, maybe this cold is worse than I thought.” Newton reluctantly admitted.

He expected Hermann to glow in satisfaction upon taking the upper hand in their verbal fight, but instead, the mathematician frowned. He sat next to his lab partner, both to get closer to him and to make his leg stop aching. He ran his hands through the bangs that were clinging to Newton’s forehead and gently pushed them back. If he noticed the way it made the biologist’s cheeks turn even redder, he didn’t comment on it. Once this was done, he pressed his palm against Newton’s burning skin to check on his temperature.

“Wow, your hand feels cold as hell, dude!”

“That’s because you are suffering from a bad fever and definitely should be in bed instead of here.”

This time, Newton looked somewhat guilty as he acknowledged Hermann’s words. He fidgeted with his fingers for a few seconds, clearly looking for his words. The mathematician definitely wasn’t used to that kind of behavior. Usually, Newton would fight him head-on, no matter the subject. Maybe the fever was really getting to him.

“Look, I know, it’s just… I don’t really look forward to being alone in my bunk, unable to find sleep because my whole body is aching. I already know how this goes: I’ll just be staring at whatever’s in front of me, remembering every damn time I fucked up in my life, because that’s what happens when my stupid brain is left unstimulated.”

As he spoke, Newton wrapped his arms around his torso, as if to protect himself. Hermann’s concerned expression deepened, only to turn into one of sheer determination.

“Fine, you can stay in the lab then, but first we’ll have to make you more comfortable. Also, no more work for you today, is that understood?”

On another day, Newt would have made fun of his commanding tone. Instead, he simply nodded before he was interrupted by another coughing fit.

While his partner was dealing with that, Hermann went back to his side of the lab. There, he fetched a pillow and a blanket that he kept in one of his drawers. Those were always useful when he worked on his research so hard and so late that his bad leg didn’t leave him much choice apart from crashing on the lab couch and sleeping there.

Newt let him put the pillow under his head, then he laid back so Hermann could drape the blanket over him. The mathematician’s gestures were meticulous and precise and the makeshift bed he created was more than comfy.

Before Newton could thank him, Hermann left once more for his desk, only to come back with a small bottle and a spoon. The biologist’s eyes widened in recognition the moment he got closer.

“Wait a moment, is that throat syrup? Where the hell did you get that?”

His question was more than justified: as the end of the world grew closer, with the kaiju attacks becoming more frequent, there was a shortage of almost everything along the pacific coast. Hermann only shrugged, as if there wasn’t much to talk about.

“What do you think, Newton? That I could keep my mind clear enough to work on my predictive models without getting some painkiller for my leg at the black market? I just tend to stock on anything else that might be useful while I do so.”

This time, even the sickness wasn’t enough to stop Newton from grinning at that discovery. Hermann could already tell he wouldn’t hear the end of it once his annoying partner would be healthy again.

“Oh my god, Herms, I didn’t expect you to be such a rebellious bad boy.”

“Please do take your medicine instead of proffering such nonsense. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Newt pouted at the idea of being left alone, but he still obeyed Hermann. With how rare medicine had become and how terrible he felt, he would be stupid to act picky now. Anyway, it didn’t take long for the other man to come back, a fuming beverage in his hands.

“I know tea isn’t exactly to your liking, but this one should soothe your parched throat. It never failed to work for me.”

“Eh, at this point I guess it won’t hurt to try, right?”

Hermann handed him the cup and Newt grabbed it with shaky hands. He took a careful sip out of it, careful not to spill the drink, only to find out that it was just at the right temperature and that the warmth did help with his aching throat. He gulped it all down quickly, to Hermann’s amusement, then placed the cup down on the floor.

“With that, you should be able to get some sleep. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my calculations.”

“Do you really have to?” Newton whined.

“As you stated previously, the future of mankind is at stake, so yes, I have to.”

“Okay, okay, you have a point. ‘Tis a shame that you didn’t even bother to give me a get-well kiss, though.”

Newt didn’t think Hermann would take him up on his teasing. He expected him to blush at the offer and to stutter some protest about how it would be an unadvised decision to have any physical contact with him when he was sick.

Instead, Hermann leaned down and put a quick, soft kiss on his forehead. Newt barely had the time to realize what was happening before it was over, but the lingering touch of Hermann’s cold lips on his skin was still tangible.

“Here, you got what you wanted, now please behave. I’ll explain my reasoning out loud as I work on it so you can have something to focus on, is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, sure. More than alright. Go do your math things.”

Hermann seemed to blame his behavior on his fever, because he barely raised a confused eyebrow before going back to his blackboards. Soon enough, he started enouncing formulas that the biologist would have disputed, if he weren’t so busy being flustered.

As Newt sank into the couch, his heart still beating fast, his mind was so busy replaying the moment over and over that he definitely didn’t have to worry about any other intrusive thoughts. And if he stole glances at Hermann from time to time, up to the point where he almost forgot about his pain and ultimately fell asleep and dreamed of his lab partner, that was his business and nobody else’s.


	6. Friends with benefits and both people catching feelings

Newt gently ran his fingers through Hermann’s undercut, then he went on to caress his nape. In reaction, the mathematician stirred against him, but didn’t wake up. His lab partner was fully nude, his modesty only preserved by the covers that hid his bony frame. Not that it mattered, since Newt had already seen and explored every single inch of him.

The other man rested peacefully, his arms wrapped around Newt’s torso and his head resting on his chest. A few hickeys adorned his pale neck, left there by Newton’s enthusiastic lips while in the midst of passion. The next day, they would be hidden under one of his turtlenecks, a secret that only they would be sharing.

When they started this arrangement, it wasn’t a big deal. Or at least, they didn’t make it sound like one. The world was ending, their work at the k-sci lab could be critical for the survival of humanity and so they needed to be as efficient as possible. Letting off some steam together so they could be more productive, no strings attached, sounded like the rational option at the time.

The first time they slept together, Newt tried not to think of the crush he had for Hermann during their letter days, just like he forced himself to forget all his romantic (and sometimes wet) dreams that had featured his lab partner. He convinced himself that this was what he wanted, just easy, meaningless sex to clear his mind of all the stress linked to his responsibilities in the current war.

In the beginning, they would keep this to the lab. Some days, Hermann would bend Newt over his desk at the end of a long afternoon of work. On other occasions, the mathematician would ride him lazily on the lab couch. On the few times they got really frustrated by the lack of results in their research, Newt pined Hermann against the wall and took him there hard and fast, although he always made sure to keep his bad leg supported.

They didn’t mean to start having sex in their bunks, but Newt should have known better, should have understood that it was bound to happen the moment he got a taste of Hermann’s lips. Obviously, cuddling together after the act wasn’t part of their agreement. But going back to their respective rooms quickly turned into staying at opposite sides of the bed and then became holding onto each other as they fell asleep, which led them to the current situation.

Newt couldn’t repress his feelings anymore, couldn’t keep pretending that he didn’t love Hermann. And from the way Hermann would gaze at his tattoos or smile softly at him when he thought Newt wasn’t looking, or simply from how tightly he was holding onto him at this very instant, the biologist could tell that his feelings weren’t as unreciprocated as he once would have believed them to be.

In other circumstances, this would have been easy. Well, as easy as opening his heart to the one man who could shatter it to pieces could be. But Hermann’s predictive model was clear: the world was coming to an end, and if they didn’t find a way to close the Breach soon, they were all doomed.

Which was why Newt was convinced he had to drift with a kaiju brain, to make sure that nothing would be left to chance. Of course, Hermann didn’t want to let him do it. Newt could understand that, since his main goal here was precisely to keep Hermann out of harm’s way. With some luck, Newt would discover how to defeat the kaiju, become a Rockstar and elope with the mathematician of his dreams. And if he died during the experiment… Well, he would leave behind a message so obnoxious that Hermann wouldn’t even want to miss him. A reenactment of their first meeting, so to speak. If the drift, as perilous as it was, gave him the slightest possibility to protect Hermann from the impending apocalypse, it was worth the try.

And so, as Newt let his eyes wander over Hermann, stubborn, clever, perfect Hermann, his mind was set. He would drift with the kaiju brain, no matter if he got the Marshall’s approval or not. He would save Hermann, or he would die trying.

If they somehow both survived the end of the world, then there would be plenty of time for Newt to confess. For now, all he could do was to enjoy the warmth of Hermann’s body against his for a little while longer

With light touches, Newt started massaging Hermann to ease the tension in his shoulders, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night.


	7. “You’ve got something on your lips, here let me.”

31 “You’ve got something on your lips, here let me.”

The Shatterdome was buzzing with energy as everyone celebrated the victory against the precursors. There were no more grim faces, no more bitter fatalism. The alcohol flowed freely as people opened bottles they had kept sealed for this very occasion. However, the members of the PPDC weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the party.

A plethora of journalists had flocked to Hong Kong the moment the news of the victory was out. Their main goal, of course, was to interview Mako and Raleigh, or at the very least to get a glimpse of them. Any information or gossip about how the Breach was closed would certainly end up making the headlines the next morning.

Hermann and Newt were no strangers to the festivities, despite being exhausted beyond anything reasonable. But they had fought hard to win this war, both of them, and so it only felt right for them to rejoice with everyone else, even if it could feel a little overwhelming at times.

They sat together next to a corner table, apart from the crowd. Hermann had no doubt that Newton wouldn’t have been against singing and dancing to express his joy — They had shared a workplace for years and they had been in each other’s mind, he knew just how unhinged his lab partner could become under the right circumstances — but the mathematician’s leg wouldn’t stand something like that, not after he pushed himself past his limits during the last few days, and Newt had decreed that he wouldn’t be going anywhere without Hermann.

The biologist had brought them lots of food from the all-you-can-eat buffet that had been organized at the last minute. Eating anything after his drift didn’t sit well with Hermann’s stomach, but Newton didn’t seem to have the same problem. He engulfed dishes as if he had been starving, which left the mathematician wondering when he had taken the time to eat a full meal for the last time. After all, his partner had obsessed too much over the possibility of drifting with a kaiju brain these last few days to truly take care of himself.

As he ate, Newton wouldn’t stop babbling, almost to himself, about all the things he believed the last events proved about the kaiju. His brain worked fast, spitting out theory after theory, and for once Hermann felt too tired to complain about his scientific methods or his awful table manners. Newton’s never stopping nonsense felt surprisingly soothing to him, and he wouldn’t have interrupted him, hadn’t it been for an offending piece of salad that stuck to his partner’s mouth.

Hermann acted without thinking first. He cupped Newton’s cheek in his hand, cutting him in the middle of a sentence. The biologist blinked a few times, surprised by his attitude.

“Er, Herms, what are you…”

“You’ve got something on your lips, here let me…”

He gently rubbed his thumb over Newton’s lips, getting rid of the piece of lettuce in a swift movement. However, as he did so, his eyes met his partner’s shocked ones. Suddenly, he realized the position they were in, so close to each other and his heart started beating faster.

They both closed the distance that separated them at the exact same time so that their lips could crash together. Hermann pulled on Newton’s tie while the other man grabbed the hems of his sweater. After their drift, this only felt like a logical conclusion, something they should have done years ago. Their residual neural connection only exacerbated their need to touch each other, to feel as if they were only one.

They were so lost into the kiss that they didn’t hear the faint click of a camera.

* * *

The next morning, Newton and Hermann woke up in the same bed, although still fully clothed. The almost end of the world had left them both too weary for anything more than tender, sleepy cuddles. However, when he opened his eyes, Hermann barely had the time to gaze longingly at Newton who was curled up against him before he was distracted by his phone buzzing on the nightstand.

Hermann groaned and reached to grab it. He took a look at the screen and barely registered that he had something like a hundred messages unread before his eyes stopped on the name of the caller. Karla.

Had it been anyone else than his sister, he certainly would have ignored the call. But as things were, he decided to answer, determined to complain about her disturbing him so early in the morning.

“Before you say anything, I must mention that you didn’t have to go that hard to become father’s most hated offspring.”

“What in the bloody hell are you talking about, Karla?” He grumbled, his mind too blurry with sleep to deal with something like this. “If this is about me being right about the Wall of Life.”

“Don’t try to play dumb, you _know_ what this is about.”

“As a matter of fact, no, I don’t. Now, if you would please enlighten me…”

“Wait, you really have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Karla gasped as if it was a huge revelation.

A second, Hermann heard Vanessa say something in the background, although he didn’t understand why. This wasn’t surprising to the slightest. Karla and she had been attached at the hips for years, this was only to be expected. The two women talked to each other for a minute before Hermann could clearly hear his sister’s voice again.

“Listen, you really need to check your phone and the news before you do anything else. I would tell you not to freak out, but I know it won’t change a thing.”

Hermann didn’t have to listen to her advice though, because what he heard next was a loud “Oh shit!” coming from Newton.

The biologist had fumbled for his glasses while Hermann was talking to Karla and he was now staring at his own phone in dismay, his eyes wide in shock. He had been loud enough for Hermann’s sister to hear, because he could practically hear the smile in her voice when she spoke next.

“Oh, I see you’re not alone.”

“This is none of your concern.” Hermann replied in a dry voice, his cheeks slightly red. He wasn’t exactly ready to deal with exposing his very recent relationship with Newt.

“Sure, whatever, I’ll let you deal with the situation. Just know you can always call if you need support or anything, alright.”

“Yes, that is… duly noted.” Hermann agreed, although he was distracted by Newt tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

“Herms, you really need to see this!”

His voice was tinged with worry, which convinced Hermann to focus his whole attention on him. From the moment he had found him linked to the drifting machine Newt had built from garbage, shaking and convulsing, the simple prospect of seeing his partner being hurt in any way had become unbearable to him.

“I’m sorry Karla, but there seem to be some urgent matters I need to attend to. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

“Remember, try not to freak out too much. Now go take care of your boyfriend, I’ll talk to you later.”

She hung up before Hermann could ask her how in the hell she knew he had in boyfriend when he and Newton had only gotten together the day befo-

Then Newt shoved the picture in front of his face, and Hermann let his phone fall from his hand as he definitely started to freak out, just like his sister had predicted. He paled and went silent, barely realizing what was under his eyes.

Even on the tiny screen, he could tell that it was a high-quality image, obviously taken by a professional photographer. What shocked him, however, was the subject: Him and Newton, in the middle of a passionate kiss, their attention completely focused on each other.

What his lab partner said next didn’t help to make things easier on him.

“This is all over the internet, we went viral, dude! I think some newspapers even have _us_ on their covers. People are going crazy over our… our victory kiss! Look, I’m not saying it’s bad, but I have to admit that when I said I would become a rockstar, I didn’t expect it to happen like this.”

Lots of thoughts went through Hermann’s mind, most of them revolving around what they would have to tell the press and suing whoever took that picture for violation of privacy. However, he decided to push them all aside to focus on Newton. He took his hand, and the other man immediately calmed down. Newt let out a deep sigh, shifting so he could be close enough to nuzzle up against Hermann’s neck.

“You’re not going to panic and leave me again, right? I don’t want this to be like our first meeting. I know you probably intended to take this slow and not have, like, the whole world knowing about us, but…”

“Newton, I drifted with a hivemind full of malevolent aliens for you, I’m not going to abandon you because some paparazzi spread a picture of us being intimate. For now, I would suggest simply enjoying our morning together. We will sure have time to deal with this later on.”

Something so beautiful he couldn’t even describe it shone in Newton’s eyes at his answer, and the biologist held a little tighter onto him, a soft smile on his lips.

“You’re really the best, Herms. For a minute there, I truly thought you would lose your shit over this. I mean, I thought you’d be upset over being associated publicly with a kaiju groupie like me.”

Thanks to their recent drift, Hermann could now recognize the self-deprecation behind Newton’s awkward laugh. He ran a reassuring hand through his messy hair, relishing in their current closeness.

“You’ve been inside my brain, Newton. If anything, you should know that I admire you and consider you the best biologist of this decade, if not of this century, and no you won’t be allowed to use this against me in future arguments. Anyway, I don’t see how there would be any shame in being associated with someone as brilliant as you.”

For once in their long time knowing each other, it was Hermann who managed to make Newton blush.

“Damn, you really know how to sweep a man off his feet, you know that? You probably shouldn’t boost my ego, you know that?”

“Yes, I’m fully aware that I will probably regret this later, but at the moment it seems more than worth it.”

“Be careful, I could get used to being complimented like that.” Newt teased him. “But more seriously, you’re really not upset by this?”

Before he answered, Hermann remembered Karla’s first words to him and he smirked.

“Upset that my homophobic father will have to spend his whole life knowing that his son became a gay icon? Why should I be?”

That was enough to bring the most joyous smile to Newton’s face, who seemed to be savoring Hermann’s revenge as if it was his own.

“Hell yeah! Pays him well for not funding our lab!”

Hermann just couldn’t ignore how beautiful Newton looked at that very instant. Without any hesitation, he pulled him in for another kiss, to which the biologist eagerly agreed to. They would deal with all the sudden attention from the media later. For now, nothing mattered but each other.


	8. Your shirt/jumper was in the laundry pile and I couldn’t help but steal it

A shiver ran through Hermann’s spine as he closed the blinds for the night. It was a cold winter evening and the freezing weather didn’t do well with his poor blood circulation. He crossed his arms and rubbed them together in the hope of creating some heat, but it proved unsuccessful.

With a sigh, he gave up on it and decided to move to his house chores of the day, in hopes the exertion would help warm up his muscles. Usually, Newton would solve this problem by cuddling up with him on nights, but the biologist had left earlier in the day for a conference at a foreign university. He would be back in just a few days, but that didn’t stop his absence from bothering Hermann.

The mathematician tried his best to keep the urge to stay near his partner in control. He knew it was a side effect of the drift and that had only been amplified with them moving in together and starting dating each other, not particularly in the order one would expect. He would survive a few days without Newton, no matter what his traitorous brain was screaming at him. Academic trips and conferences were something that was to be expected in their fields of research, he would just have to learn to cope with it.

As he did some tidying around their shared flat, his eyes stopped on the laundry pile. Newton’s favorite jumper had been thrown carelessly on top of it, and the vibrant blue stare of Otachi was glaring right back at Hermann. Before their Drift, such a sight would have thrown him off; but recently, Newton’s love for the kaiju and the merch that came with them had started to rub off on him, if the monster figurines that had joined his collection of jaeger’s ones were anything to come by.

On another day, Hermann would have disregarded the jumper, but he was freezing and it looked more than comfortable. Also, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, the fact that it certainly still held some of Newton’s scent played a huge part in his decision of grabbing it for himself.

When he bought it, Newton had proclaimed the jumper as his comfort clothes for when he would be staying at home. For that reason, it was a few sizes bigger than it needed to be, and so it somehow fit on Hermann despite him being taller than his boyfriend. It still hung off of his shoulders in a weird way though and definitely looked too big in some places, but Hermann couldn’t care less at the moment.

With the piece of clothing bringing him the reassurance he had been so desperately needing, Hermann decided it was time to call it a day. He switched off all the lights before heading towards his bedroom. He changed into flannel pajamas, but still put the sweater back on once he was done. The bed felt empty without Newton at his side, but the jumper somehow helped to fill that void. He curled up around it, and when he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend that Newton was there, with his arms wrapped around him.

That thought helped him to slowly drift to sleep.

* * *

Hermann was woken up by a soft kiss on his forehead. He blinked a few times, confused when he was met with Newton’s bright smile.

“Darling? What are you doing here? I believed you wouldn’t come back home before a few days.”

“Yeah, well, the company I was supposed to travel with went on strike, so my flight got canceled. I contacted the university I was supposed to give a speech at, and they said they’re cool with me giving an online conference instead. So sorry, but you’re not getting rid of me today, Herms.”

“And me who was rejoicing to finally have a few calm days to myself…” The mathematician joked, but the way his eyes shone with warmth showed just how happy he was to have Newton’s back.

“So happy that you had to steal my jumper because you definitely didn’t miss me, uh?”

This time, Hermann’s cheeks turned a deep red as he was reminded of the garment.

“Is there any chance I could convince you to forget about this?”

“Nah, dude, you look way too adorable like this. Also, I already took a pic of you wearing it when you were sleeping. Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

His blush only worsened at Newton’s words, but he tried his best to remain composed.

“Well, then perhaps you could at least have the decency to join me in bed. It is a rather chilly night.”

Newton answered with a heartfelt laugh, before he climbed next to Hermann and wrapped an arm around his waist. The warmth of his body immediately spread to the mathematician who couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh.

“Happy now?”

“Ah, yes, that is definitely much better, thank you, Newton.”

He felt more than he heard the biologist chuckle against his skin. Hermann relaxed completely into the hug and he fell asleep a few minutes later, coaxed into it by Newton’s gentle fingers running through his hair.


End file.
